ANGELS COMPLETE BIG STEP BACK RALLY IN NINTH NOT ENOUGH TO AVOID SWEEP BALTIMORE 7, ANGELS 6.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

BALTIMORE - If the Angels fade from playoff contention, they might look back on this four-game sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles as the series that turned everything upside down.

They came in on a five-game winning streak and left town Sunday scratching their heads after the Orioles completed their first four-game sweep of the Angels since 1965 with a 7-6 victory, a game that typified the backward nature of the teams' season-long series.

Angels starter John Lackey gave up 11 hits and six earned runs, and might have been the least responsible of anyone for the loss.

Baltimore's lone All-Star, Melvin Mora, left the game after getting hit in the mouth by a pitch. The guy who replaced him, David Segui, hit the game-clinching grand slam, the fourth slam the Orioles have hit against the Angels this year.

Trailing 7-1, the Angels removed all but three of their starters after eight innings. Then, a patchwork lineup jelled for five runs in the ninth, making it 7-6 with the tying and go-ahead runs on base. But Chone Figgins, who started the rally with a single, popped out to end it.

The Angels lost eight of nine games to Baltimore, a season series that did wonders for the professional futures of young Orioles Brian Roberts and Luis Matos, who had a career-high four hits Sunday. And when it was over, the Angels swore they'd seen not a struggling 45-50 team, but rather a reincarnation of the '27 New York Yankees.

``We basically came in here and got our butts kicked,'' manager Mike Scioscia said.

``That's the best team I've ever seen,'' said closer Troy Percival, no hint of hyperbole in his eyes.

Right now, the Angels are far from that. They fell to 49-47 and the out- of-town scoreboard at Camden Yards, prominent enough that even the perpetually squinting Percival can see it, seemed to taunt them all weekend as Seattle and Oakland lost seven of eight between them.

An opportunity to gain ground was lost, and the moral victory of the Angels' five-run ninth inning, keyed by Scott Spiezio's three-run homer, was particularly hollow.

``The only thing that would make it better,'' third baseman Troy Glaus said, ``is if you come all the way back.''

Glaus was part of the reason the hole was so large. At the plate, he went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts, fanning with the bases loaded in the eighth and leaving runners stranded at second in the fourth and sixth.

In the field, he didn't make three plays he could have, though two of them were difficult.

The most glaring miscalculation came in the sixth inning, with the Angels trailing 2-0.

After singles by Deivi Cruz and Brook Fordyce, Roberts pushed a bunt to the left of the mound. Glaus started in, but as Lackey came off the mound, he retreated to third base. The ball got by Lackey, into no-man's land, and Roberts had a bunt single.

``Tough read,'' Glaus said. ``I read that he was going to get it. John gets off the mound real well and I give him a little more margin for error than other guys.''

Said Lackey: ``I was supposed to cover the line. If it's bunted hard and I can't get there, the third baseman makes the play and throws to first.''

But the bunt loaded the bases and, with no outs, brought the infield in. Matos then poked a ball through a hole for an RBI single and Lackey exited for Francisco Rodriguez.

Segui, who replaced Mora, crushed a 94 mph first-pitch fastball for a grand slam and 7-1 lead.

All but one of the runs were charged to Lackey (7-9), who Scioscia believed deserved much better.

Lackey was inclined to agree, saying the Orioles didn't exactly hit a lot of balls hard.

``I would say, definitely,'' Lackey said when asked whether he pitched better than his line score. ``You can only execute a pitch. You can't steer it. That's just kind of the way it worked today. One inning starts with a bunt single, which opens up holes and possibilities for the offense, then you have to play the infield in and a double-play ball goes through for an RBI.''

And so it went all weekend, as three of the Angels' losses came by one run. Demoralizing? No. Damaging? Yes.

``I don't think the character of this team has ever been questioned,'' center fielder Darin Erstad said. ``We just flat-out got outplayed. That's the bottom line.''

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com

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Photo:

John Lackey (41) surrenders the ball to manager Mike Scioscia in the sixth inning after allowing six earned runs Sunday.

Nick Wass/Associated Press